


tongue tied

by lefargen



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M, Party, Recreational Drug Use, Shotgunning, Underage Drinking, the most stereotypical party ever
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-11
Updated: 2019-07-11
Packaged: 2020-06-26 10:28:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19766317
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lefargen/pseuds/lefargen
Summary: “What do you mean you’ve never been to a party!?” Donghyuck exclaims loudly, no care for the fact that they were in a library. Mark shushes him, looking around for a librarian who might come over and tell them off for being too loud. Mark really does not like getting in trouble.“Donghyuck, my only friend is Jeno from the chess club."or: nerd Mark and jock Donghyuck go to a party





	tongue tied

**Author's Note:**

> inspired by a tweet (idr who tweeted it sorry!!!!) saying that there needs to be more fics with nerd Mark and jock Donghyuck and i STRONGLY agree. 
> 
> title from grouplove. 
> 
> also i know i've been posting a lot in the last couple of months, sorry if it's annoying. i'm still relatively new to writing and want to practice so i improve!!!

“What do you mean you’ve never been to a party!?” Donghyuck exclaims loudly, no care for the fact that they were in a library. Mark shushes him, looking around for a librarian who might come over and tell them off for being too loud. Mark really does not like getting in trouble. 

“Donghyuck, my only friend is Jeno from the _chess club_. No one from the basketball team or any of the other cool kids even talk to me,” Mark whispers back, pushing up his glasses, which have fallen down the bridge of his nose.

Donghyuck frowns at the answer he is given. “Um? I’m your friend Mark. And I’m on the basketball team, so I don’t really get your point. Do you not consider us friends?” he asks quickly, in a way that makes Mark slightly nervous. Donghyuck always keeps him on his toes. 

“I mean, I just thought… well, I’m your math tutor. And you’re like, the most popular boy in school. Every stereotype says that we aren’t meant to be friends,” Mark replies somewhat defensively. 

Mark doesn’t get an answer right away, and from across the table, Donghyuck looks deep in thought, contemplating something that Mark doesn’t quite know yet. He can see the gears turning in his head, before he finally replies, “You’re coming with me to a party this Friday.”

To say Mark is shocked would be an understatement. In no world did he ever think that _Lee Donghyuck_ would invite _him_ to a party. And never did he think that he would end up accepting the invitation. 

In Mark’s defense, Donghyuck asked him on a Monday, and he has a short attention span, this Mark knows from six months experience of being the younger’s tutor and having to deal with his wandering mind. Mark had figured that Donghyuck would have forgotten all about his plan to take Mark’s party virginity. 

But here he was, pacing his room, looking in the mirror to check his outfit over again, and frantically checking his phone to see if Donghyuck had texted him that he has arrived to pick him up. However, the only message he’s received is from Jeno, who finally accepted his outfit after an hour of back and forth discussion. 

_From: Jenojam_

_Mark, you can’t wear KHAKIS to a party, are u insane?? You’ll look like a total nerd!_

_To: Jenojam_

_I am a total nerd :(_

Eventually Mark decides on a dark wash pair of jeans, a blue hoodie, and a jean jacket. Jeno said that it would was nice enough to not look out of place, but not too nice, so he wouldn’t stand out. Mark has spent a lot of his life being a wallflower, watching other people have fun from the sidelines. He doubts that will change tonight, even if he is technically attending a party. 

His phone dings with a text from Donghyuck, letting him know that he’s arrived at his house, and Mark promptly freaks out. He tries to come up with a million different excuses he could use to back out at the last minute, but a honk from the car in his driveway tells him that it’s too late. 

Donghyuck smiles at Mark as he walks down the driveway, and it helps dissipate Mark’s nerves a little. When he enters the car, Donghyuck is leaning over and giving him a quick hug, something he’s never done before. The action simultaneously puts him at ease and makes him feel like every cell in his body is buzzing. 

“You look great, Mark!” Donghyuck smiles when he pulls back, putting the car in reverse and heading out. Mark’s eyes wander to Donghyuck’s outfit and sees him dressed in black pants, a button-down shirt, and boots and he looks _really_ good. It makes him even more nervous. 

Donghyuck seems to sense his stress, and reaches over and pats his thigh. “We’re going to pregame at my house before we head out to the party, alright? And it’s right next door to where I live, so if at any point you feel uncomfortable, let me know and we can go back to my house,” Donghyuck explains, and his words reassure Mark a lot. 

When he was first invited, a small part of Mark felt like maybe this was all a prank. An elaborate scheme planned out to humiliate Mark, to bully him. Maybe he would get there and they’d throw eggs at him or something. Make him feel like a loser; an outcast. But when he looks across the car at Donghyuck, he sees nothing but sincerity in his eyes. Mark trusts him and his intentions, and that alone is enough to relax him for the rest of the ride. 

-

When they arrive at Donghyuck’s house, there are two boys sitting on his front porch waiting for him. Mark recognizes them as Na Jaemin and Huang Renjun, captain of the soccer team, and student council president respectively. Suddenly Mark feels anxious again. 

“Hey Hyuckie, Hey Mark!” Jaemin exclaims standing up and waving wildly at the two of them. Mark is shocked that Jaemin knows his name, but then again, Donghyuck must have told them that he was coming. 

“Jaemin can come off kind of strong,” Donghyuck whispers. “But he is totally harmless, I promise. Just don’t be concerned if he decides to hang off of you for awhile,” he explains. With that they all head into the house. 

Mark isn’t sure what he was expecting when he enters the kitchen of Donghyuck’s home, but bottles and bottles of alcohol is not it. And that was probably a naive thought of his, given that he is going to a party, but he has never been drunk before and new experiences make him feel apprehensive. 

Renjun pours himself and Jaemin a drink, before turning towards Mark, “Mark, do you want anything to drink? Alcohol is on us tonight,” he offers. Mark turns to look at Donghyuck immediately, silently begging for help on how to navigate the situation. 

“You don’t have to drink if you don’t want to. I’m not drinking tonight because I’m the DD, so if you do want to, I’ll be there to take care of you and make sure nothing bad happens. No pressure though,” Donghyuck smiles warmly at him. 

Mark thinks it over, and recalls all of the times in movies when the main character is stressed and takes a shot to calm his nerves. He is already so far out of his comfort zone that he decides to give it a chance. 

Renjun makes him a mixed drink to ease his way into drinking. “It only has two shots, and a lot of juice, so hopefully it won’t be too bad for your first time,” he says handing Mark a red solo cup. Mark takes a sip apprehensively, and finds that it isn’t as bad as he is expecting. 

They spend some time talking and drinking (minus Donghyuck, who has Coke in his own red solo cup), and Mark tries to suppress his nerves as he hears the music from the house next door steadily increase in volume. Luckily, the steady flow of conversation and Donghyuck’s warm arm draped across his shoulders is enough to distract him. 

“So Mark,” Jaemin presses, “I don’t really see you much outside of school. Who do you hang around?” he asks, genuinely interested. Jaemin was a warm aura surrounding him, like he wants to give everyone love and attention. 

“Well…” Mark begins, a little embarrassed about his lack of friends. Mark has accepted the fact that he is a loser long ago, but talking about it makes him feel a little awkward. “My best friend is Lee Jeno, and we hang out a lot,” he says, worried about whatever follow-up question may come. 

“I know Jeno!” Jaemin exclaims, much to Mark’s surprise. “You should invite him next time. We could all hang out,” he suggests. This gives Mark a little more confidence, because Jaemin is suggesting a _next time_. Mark didn’t completely scare them off like he thought he would if he ever hung out with popular kids. 

He also doesn’t have the heart to tell Jaemin that getting Jeno to go out with them would be very difficult. The boy is even shyer, and a bigger home-body than Mark is. But Mark never expected to hang out with the most popular boys in school either, so maybe there is hope.

The conversation dies down quickly, when Donghyuck stands up, announcing that it is time for them to leave and head next door. Suddenly, Mark feels insecure and stressed again, worst case scenarios running through his head about what could happen as soon as he leaves this house that already feels so safe. 

He thinks about calling it quits, about telling Donghyuck that he doesn’t feel good and asking his mom to come pick him up. But Donghyuck reaches out to him, pulling him out of his seat with a smile that oozes warmth, and Mark can’t help but follow him next door. 

As soon as they enter the party, Mark is overwhelmed by the sheer number of people that are there. His eyes wander everywhere, from the couple making out in the corner, to the ones dancing on the makeshift dance floor, to the ones pounding shots in the kitchen. Mark is dragged to the dining room where he is greeted by the sight of a familiar face. 

“Mark Lee! I didn’t know you were coming to my party,” the voice, which belongs to his lab partner Jungwoo, says. He looks genuinely happy to see Mark and reminds him once again that he has nothing to worry about. These people may be from a different world than he is, but that doesn’t mean they are going to judge him. 

“I didn’t even know this was your party,” Mark replies honestly, causing Jungwoo to bark out a loud laugh. “Well I hope you aren’t too disappointed that it’s me. I’m sure you get enough of me when I ruin our chem projects during the week,” Jungwoo responds, friendly and welcoming. 

“It’s okay,” Mark reassures. “I love chemistry, I don’t care if you mess it up all the time,” he says, before wincing slightly. That didn’t come out quite as eloquently as it had sounded in his head. Jungwoo, to his credit, takes it in stride and laughs along. 

“Let’s make a friendly little bet. Beer pong. Loser has to clean the lab equipment for the rest of the semester,” Jungwoo offers sticking a hand out. 

“I’ll be Mark’s pong partner,” Jaemin offers, coming up beside him and giving him a friendly smile. Mark has never played a game of beer pong in his life, but he shakes anyway. 

Their teams seem to be quite evenly matched. Mark and Jungwoo’s partner Yukhei (from the basketball team, Mark’s mind supplies), are both awful at it, missing the cups almost every time. But Jaemin and Jungwoo are the opposite, the two clearly experienced in the game. 

Jungwoo’s team wins eventually, but Mark can’t find it in himself to be upset. He got one ball in the cup the entire game, but it filled him with enough pride to be worth it all. This is the first time in Mark’s entire high school experience that he has felt normal and he relishes in it. 

“Let’s go see where Renjun and Donghyuck went off to,” Jaemin suggests, dragging Mark throughout the dance floor. Because Jaemin knows them quite well, he manages to find them right away. On the dance floor. 

Mark is mesmerized by the way Donghyuck moves, full of grace, rhythm, and strength. Renjun sees them walking up, and immediately pulls them both onto the dance floor, breaking Mark’s trance. 

Mark stands there awkwardly at first, not knowing the first thing about dancing. He is self-conscious at how awkward he is just standing there, but equally as horrified at the thought of how awkward he will be when he inevitably starts dancing. 

Donghyuck takes notice to how he is just standing there and grabs Mark’s waist, wrapping his arms around him. He dances with Mark in a way that is both foreign and familiar to him. Like everything else Mark has tried tonight, Donghyuck has somehow made things that would have otherwise terrified him less scary. 

They start off with a little distance between them, Donghyuck giving Mark time to get used to the rhythm. But slowly, as time progressed, Donghyuck pulls Mark closer until they are pressed up against each other. Donghyuck’s hands are resting just above his waist, and Mark is worried that if they rise any higher, the other will be able to feel the way Mark’s heart is beating out of his chest. 

Mark has been to one dance in his entire life, when he was in middle school. His mother made him go, and he spent the entire time sitting on the bleachers with Jeno (who was also forced to go) watching all of the kids in their grade dance. Mark remembers being slightly appalled at the way the kids were grinding, especially given how young everybody was at the time. But now that Mark is essentially doing just that, he thinks he may allow himself to be a little more open-minded. 

Mark feels like his entire body is buzzing, and he isn’t sure if it’s from the alcohol or the intoxicating way that Donghyuck presses his hips up into him. His hands roam all over Mark’s body, leaving burning handprints from his thighs to his chest.

After awhile the song changes into something slower, more subdued. Mark takes this as an opportunity to catch his breath for a second. He turns towards Donghyuck and sees sweat dripping from his forehead and he kind of wants to lick it off. The thought alone scares him enough to pull away, looking at Donghyuck with anxiety-filled eyes. 

If Donghyuck notices his impending stress, he doesn’t say anything, instead pulling him off of the dance floor and into the hallway. “Come on, I heard something about truth or dare being played in one of the bedrooms. You can’t come to your first party and miss out on the most pivotal teenage game of all time,” Donghyuck explains. 

They stumble into a bedroom and find a group of people from their grade, Renjun and Jaemin included (Mark hadn’t even noticed them leaving the dance floor, too distracted by the feeling of Donghyuck’s hot breath on his ear…), gathered in a circle, the room lit dimly by candles and fairy lights. The circle immediately widens, making room for the two new guests to enter and join in. 

The first few rounds are relatively tame, Mina from math class having to lick Kang Daniel’s foot, and Jaemin confessing that he has a crush on someone being the most exciting moments of the game so far. 

When it gets to Donghyuck’s turn he picks truth, a shock to everyone playing. Apparently Donghyuck is notorious for doing any dare, information Mark files away into an increasingly large DONGHYUCK folder in his brain. 

It’s Yukhei who asks him the question, causing everyone in the circle to ooh and awe. “Donghyuck, is it true that you have a thing with Yeri? I heard you two were really cozy last weekend after the game?” 

Upon hearing the question, Mark immediately looks down, his hands sitting folded in his lap suddenly becoming more interesting than anything else going on in the room. He feels a hand reach out and squeeze one of his own, and looks up to see Renjun offering him a comforting smile. It reassures him to know that even in this unfamiliar environment he has someone looking out for him, making him feel understood. 

“I’m afraid there is no tea here ladies and gentlemen,” Donghyuck responds. “Yeri and I are just friends. I have my eye on someone else anyway,” he says slyly. Renjun turns and smiles warmly at Mark, and he can only interrupt it as a look of sympathy. 

Mark isn’t surprised that Donghyuck likes somebody, especially when someone as popular as him could have anybody. Mark has never let himself fall for someone; there’s really no point. No one could possibly be interested in someone like him, _especially_ not one of the cool kids. 

The game moves on until it gets to Mark’s turn. Mark instinctively chooses truth, knowing that he would be much too embarrassed to participate in any of the dares they might come up with. Mark’s biggest goal of the night is not to absolutely humiliate himself and he’s done a pretty good job of that so far. The question he gets however, is not one he is expecting. 

“Why don’t you ever come to parties?” Mina asks him. The entire circle turns to look at him and he suddenly begins to feel self conscious. He isn’t used to having attention of him, and their bold stares are starting to make him uncomfortable. He tries to think of an answer but everything he comes up with makes him sound like a loser so he begins to stutter-

“W-well,” he begins cutting himself off, trying to gain composure. He looks around the room and makes eye contact with Donghyuck, who smiles at him warmly, reassuringly. It gives Mark enough strength to not only answer the question, but answer it honestly. 

“I don’t really have many friends, so I figured that it wouldn’t matter. It’s not like anyone necessarily wants me here…” he trails himself off, looking down at his hands that sit twisting in his lap. The alcohol paired with Donghyuck’s comforting presence made him feel bold enough to be completely transparent, but now that he’s said it, he feels vulnerable; like he has just given people license to judge him. But, much to his surprise, they don’t. 

“Mark, I’ve loved having math with you,” Mina says sincerely. “It made me really happy when I saw that you made it out tonight.” 

“Yeah,” Yukhei butts in. “I had so much fun playing pong with you buddy, I’ll even offer you a rematch sometime.” 

Mark is shocked, and a little bit overwhelmed at the positivity he is receiving from the people all around him. He never expected that they would accept someone like him. Someone who has never partied, and preferred chess to basketball. Someone whose ideal Friday night included playing video games with his best friend and then going to bed early so he could get a fresh, early start on his homework the next morning. Yet here he was, in the presence of the most popular kids and school, and he felt _accepted_. 

“I would like to make a toast,” Donghyuck says. “To Mark,” he says raising his glass high. Everyone echoes the sentiment, raising their own glasses in tandem. Mark turns beet red from equal parts embarrassment and pure unadulterated joy. Eventually the game starts going on again, but Mark can’t bring himself to pay attention, still in awe at the display he had just witnessed. 

Donghyuck notices, because Donghyuck seems to understand him on some unearthly level, and eventually drags him out of the room, down the stairs, until they arrive at the porch that sits at the back of the property. They arrange themselves messily into the metal chairs, turning towards each other as if on instinct. 

“You looked a little overwhelmed in there,” Donghyuck says gently, reaching forward and grabbing Mark’s hand, squeezing it gently. The gesture makes Mark feel physically weak, but he can’t bring himself to pull away from Donghyuck’s soft, warm hand. Their fingers fit together like they were once one piece of marble, curved to make two separate entities; like they were meant to be apart of one another. 

“Yeah, I was just wasn’t expecting anything like that to happen when I agreed to come to this party. I’m having such a good time tonight, but every once in awhile something will happen again that makes me nervous all over again. I think it’s because I’m new to this, but I wish I could calm down a little and just enjoy the rest of the night without all of the anxiety,” Mark admits, because something about Donghyuck makes him want to spill his entire heart to him. 

“I might have something that could help you relax a little,” Donghyuck offers, reaching into his pocket and pulling out something Mark only knows about from movies: weed. “But only if you want to!” he adds hurriedly, “No pressure.” 

Mark knows enough about marijuana to know that it isn’t really that big of a deal, but still he has never tried it. He is curious, and open-minded, but a little lost at where to begin. 

“I-I’ve never done it before. I’m a little nervous, but I want to try it. If-if you’ll help me,” Mark replies. 

Donghyuck rolls a joint with practiced hands, before lighting it and taking a puff. He passes it to Mark who inhales and immediately sputters, coughing everywhere. He doesn’t even have the strength to be embarrassed at this point. It’s not like Donghyuck will judge him anyway. 

“It’ll be easier if we shotgun it for your first time,” Donghyuck explains, Mark nodding along, despite not knowing what Donghyuck is talking about. Donghyuck takes another puff for himself before leaning in closer to Mark, as if he is about to kiss him. Mark’s mouth parts in shock, leaving way for Donghyuck to slot their lips together, blowing the smoke into Mark’s mouth. 

Mark manages to inhale without coughing this time, pulling back to look Donghyuck in the eyes. The younger boy’s gaze is intense for a single moment, before Donghyuck leans in and kisses Mark for real. 

Mark has never been kissed before, and as Donghyuck’s tongue presses against Mark’s virgin lips, he can’t help but feel as though he has been missing out. With the joint forgotten, burning out into a stray ashtray, the two boys press closer together, Mark gripping the hair on Donghyuck’s neck as he explores the boy’s mouth with his tongue.

Donghyuck has one hand on Mark’s back, the other gripping his cheek gently. It makes Mark feel cared for, much like he has all night. Donghyuck takes care of Mark, in a way that shows compassion, understanding and _acceptance_. But every special moment must come to an end. 

“Well, well, well,” a voice interrupts them, causing the two boys to pull apart. “What do we have here?” Mark vaguely recognizes the boy in front of them as one of Donghyuck’s teammates. His snarky tone leaves a pit in the bottom of Mark’s stomach. 

“What do you want, Youngjae?” Donghyuck replies, looking annoyed at the interruption. Mark stays silent, unsure of how to read the situation. On one hand, this Youngjae guy kind of sounds like an asshole, but he is Donghyuck’s teammate and he doesn’t want to offend him.

“Donghyuck for real, what are you doing with this nerd? Stringing him along?” Youngjae begins, turning towards Mark to address him directly. “Newsflash, kid. Someone like Donghyuck would never be interested in someone like you. You will never be good enough for him or anyone at this party, so run along and do homework and stop wasting everybody’s time,” he finishes. 

Mark’s eyes fill up with tears immediately, hoping that the porch is dark enough that the other two boys won’t notice. He gets up immediately and runs, not stopping despite Donghyuck’s calls of protest. 

Unfortunately for Mark, he forgets that Donghyuck is a student athlete and catches up to him by the time he makes it to Donghyuck’s driveway. 

“Mark, wait!” Donghyuck says, grabbing his arm and whipping him around. Mark would try to fight back, but he is slightly disoriented from the tears that obstruct his vision. 

“What do you want from me, Donghyuck? I’ll never be accepted by you, or your friends so why bother? I shouldn’t have come out tonight, I knew you and your asshole popular friends were going to judge me,” Mark cries out. 

Donghyuck’s expression turns from one of sympathy to one of anger rather quickly. “Youngjae isn’t my friend. _My friends_ were the ones who accepted you right away and spent the night hanging out with you,” he starts, leaving Mark shocked at the outburst. 

“You have this idea in your head that people who are different from you could never like you, and you don’t even give them a chance to prove you wrong. Yeah, some people are going to judge you and some are going to accept you, but you have to let people in enough that they have a choice,” he continues. “Let me in, Mark,” he finishes, voice changing to a much softer tone. 

Mark stares at Donghyuck dumbfounded, unable to come up with a single counterpoint, so he chooses not to argue back. “So… what are you saying?” Mark asks, voice hoarse and full of emotion. “You really want to be my friend?” 

Donghyuck scoffs, “Of course not, dummy,” causing Mark’s heart to shatter instantly. “I thought I’ve made it very clear this entire night that I want to be _more than_ friends,” he replies, reaching out to squeeze, Mark’s hands. 

Mark stares at their joint hands for a moment, before wiggling his fingers until they are interlaced with Donghyuck’s “You mean you want to be with me? But… you’re a jock. And like, the most popular boy in school. And I’m a nerd,” he says blankly. 

Donghyuck rolls his eyes. “Who cares about dumb, stereotypes, Mark. This isn’t some teenage romance movie. Besides, I’ve liked you for a long time, since you first became my math tutor. You were so cute and uptight with your little protractor, I wanted to smother you in kisses,” he replies. 

“Then do it,” Mark answers. “Kiss me.” And Donghyuck does not need to be told twice. They kiss again for the second time that night, only this time, there is a special reassurance buzzing between them. Their kiss familiar in a way that feels like coming home, warm, and happy, and safe. 

They stand there kissing in the middle of Donghyuck’s driveway, music from the house next store blaring in the distant background, and everything feels at ease in the world. For a night that filled Mark with anxiety multiple times, he couldn’t have asked for a more peaceful ending. 

They pull away when they hear the sound of footsteps approaching them. “Hey loser,” Jaemin says, addressing Donghyuck and ignoring the compromising position he finds the two in. “Take us home.” Renjun appears next to him, and the other two are shocked to see that he has blood dripping from his nose. 

“What the fuck happened to you?” Donghyuck asks, moving closer to check Renjun’s face for any more injuries. 

“I overheard Youngjae bragging about what happened so I fought him,” Renjun replies, simply, as if his response is the most obvious thing in the world. 

“It’s true. If you think he looks bad you should see the other guy. I would’ve joined in but, well, I’m a lover not a fighter, and Renjun clearly didn’t need my help. Anyway, can you take us home now? Renjun’s staying at mine tonight so his mom doesn’t freak out about the blood,” Jaemin continues the conversation, before they all head to the car. 

The car ride happens rather uneventfully, especially given all of the wild events that happened previously. Renjun and Jaemin get dropped off first, with a promise that they will all hang out again in the near future. 

The ride to Mark’s house happens in silence, both Mark and Donghyuck content enough in each other’s presence to not force conversation. When they pull into the driveway of Mark’s house, Donghyuck turns to Mark and asks, “So what did you think of your first party experience?” 

“It’s definitely one for the books.”

**Author's Note:**

> mark’s outfit is inspired by the infamous finesse fancy
> 
> idk who tf youngjae is just go with it
> 
> thanks for reading!
> 
> until next time, xoxo
> 
> [my twitter](https://twitter.com/lefargenjeno)
> 
> [my cc](https://curiouscat.me/lefargen)


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